Maverick, you brought up the point that the problem lies in determining whether or not a beltholder is "legit," or what a "legit" black belt is supposed to be. And this is indeed a problem. One solution is, of course, eliminating belts, thus avoiding the whole issue. But this creates a whole host of other issues, and a bit like opening a bottle with a sledgehammer. Another solution is to standardize belt requirements, which would be a total nightmare. A third solution, which is what I'd like to see happen, is a reduction in bullshit (bullshit in this case meaning something that we can all agree to be fraudulent or inherently sucky) within each style, so that belts will standardize themselves... in other words, a BJJ black belt means the same thing at any BJJ school because there is so little bullshit in BJJ, while a TKD black belt probably doesn't, because your TKD belt could easily be a BS belt, or you could conversely be a god at a BS school. Naturally, this would require a lot more time and a lot more Bullshido members to pull off, but damn it would be great if it worked.

Maverick, you brought up the point that the problem lies in determining whether or not a beltholder is "legit," or what a "legit" black belt is supposed to be. And this is indeed a problem. One solution is, of course, eliminating belts, thus avoiding the whole issue. But this creates a whole host of other issues, and a bit like opening a bottle with a sledgehammer. Another solution is to standardize belt requirements, which would be a total nightmare. A third solution, which is what I'd like to see happen, is a reduction in bullshit (bullshit in this case meaning something that we can all agree to be fraudulent or inherently sucky) within each style, so that belts will standardize themselves... in other words, a BJJ black belt means the same thing at any BJJ school because there is so little bullshit in BJJ, while a TKD black belt probably doesn't, because your TKD belt could easily be a BS belt, or you could conversely be a god at a BS school. Naturally, this would require a lot more time and a lot more Bullshido members to pull off, but damn it would be great if it worked.

If you're ever able to achieve any of those "solutions" you'll have a lucrative career in cat herding.

What scope of standardization do you want? Universal, just within styles, because at the moment many organizations are pretty standard...granted, mostly a black belt means you're just a bit less shitty than any other belt (though you have less of an excuse for being that shitty).